Church Covenant: fleshing it out a bit...

What does our church covenant say?

To help understand Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s (CHBC) covenant we have divided it into three parts. First, the introduction; second, the promises; third, the benediction. (see covenant found at the end of this document)

1. Introduction

We can be tempted to pass over the introduction too quickly in our rush to get to the meat of the statement. Don’t do this. The introduction is rich with valuable points. Let me draw your attention to three.

a. First, the covenant is to be made by Christians. Borrowing Jesus’ words from the opening verses of Mark, the CHBC covenant is to be made by those who “repent and believe” in Jesus Christ.

b. Second, the covenant is to be made by baptized Christians. The church covenant is to be made by those who have been baptized upon their “profession of faith.” In other words, those who have been baptized as believers.

c. Third, the covenant can only be kept with God’s help—“relying on His gracious aid.” Any ability we have to fulfill the promises of the CHBC covenant is attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit, not us! This means first that we can do all things through Christ Jesus our Lord, and second, that we should have no reason to be proud of spiritual success in our lives. God gets all the credit and all the glory.

2. The Promises

a. We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We should pray that God’s peace would show itself in the body as a whole. Whether we are gathering for a Sunday morning service, or thinking through matters of church business at a members’ meeting, we are to pray that the Holy Spirit would move us together, in the same direction. Unity is a fragile thing.

b. Exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require. Are we bearing each other’s burdens? Are we looking out for each other? Are we challenging each other when we sin? Are we entreating one another to a holy walk? Are we doing these things for people who are outside our demographic group? It is insufficient if you are only caring for those who share your demographic profile. This idea is contrary to most church-culture thinking. But it’s biblical. This is what it means to be a part of a church.

c. Do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Christians don’t meet simply so they can be blessed; we meet so that the church can glorify God. As we learn about Scripture together, praise God together, pray together and serve together, Christ’s bride is being made ready for her bridegroom. So we’re not here merely to have our own needs met. Nor are we a stationary Billy Graham Rally—hearing the word for someone else. Attending regularly is vital because it is the first step toward being held accountable. If you are not attending regularly (maybe you’ve moved, maybe you’ve become ill, maybe you have left for school, maybe you’ve simply chosen to attend another church) LET SOMEBODY KNOW … preferably the pastor. Non-attendance is either a portal to sin or a reflection of sin. It is prevented by formative church discipline, and remedied by corrective church discipline.

d. Do not neglect to pray for ourselves and others. In our own devotionals, we are to pray that God would grow us in Christ. We are to pray that he would strengthen us to do His work. We are to pray for His direction. We are also to pray for others, that His Spirit would be at work in them. That’s why we encourage members to get a membership directory and pray through it a page a day all through the month.

e. Bring up such as may at any time be under our care.… Maybe it’s those children we have a special commitment to; maybe it is that brother or sister you are praying with each week. We covenant together to be a part of one another’s lives. Discipleship or spiritual mentoring should be a daily goal.

f. Seek the salvation of family and friends. Do I know your friends? Do I know your family? NO! YOU do! The life we live during the week is to include sharing the Good News with family and friends. The proclamation of the Gospel is so important that we covenant together in order to encourage each of us to share our faith.

g. Rejoice at each other’s happiness. Sometimes seeing our friends fail make us feel better. There’s something wrong with that, isn’t there? In a world of envy, jealousy and greed, we are called to see other’s happiness and praise God for it. This may be one of the most difficult promises made in our covenant to keep. We truly are a selfish and proud people in need of God’s grace.

h. Bear each others burdens and sorrows. God did not design us to go through difficulty alone. As this promise from points out, God ministers to us through others. One of the best ways we can be an example to the world is through being faithful brothers and sisters in Christ to one another.

i. Live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. One of the reasons we covenant together is because we realize that we could use some help with our own Christian walk with God.

j. Support the ministry of the church. Through prayer, commitment to biblical teaching, finances and other means, each individual member has an important role in supporting the church body.

k. Evangelize. “The spread of the gospel to all nations.” Evangelism can take place in many ways. One of the most obvious ways is by us sharing the Gospel with unbelievers. We are called to do that by the church covenant. I think that this church covenant also calls us to evangelize in another way. God will show the world who he is through the church. We are a corporate witness, a display of God’s holiness, by his grace. Therefore, how we serve together and love together is a means God uses to communicate the Good News to a lost world. We see this in , where Jesus shows His master plan for evangelism: “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Get this point: we’re not just individuals assembling in the same spot. God intends us to be one body! And that alone can be an evangelistic tool.

l. When we move, we will unite with some other church. Membership isn’t about a particular affection for one group of Christians. Membership is about unity with the body of Christians God has physically placed you around. You are building the local church as you willingly transfer your membership. We all look forward to being together in heaven. Until then, we divide and conquer for the Kingdom of God.

3. Benediction. These words may sound familiar. They conclude most services at CHBC. More importantly, they are from . We are a people who possess the grace of Jesus Christ, the saving love of our heavenly Father, union with His Son, and unity with all the family of God through the Holy Spirit.

4. Conclusion. There are just two final points to make about our church covenant. First, our church covenant should be a challenge. Second our church covenant should be a comfort.

c. Our church covenant is a challenge simply because there are times when living a godly life is hard. It is also a challenge because each member of the church now bears responsibility for the lives of other believers—this is that “accountability goes both ways” part. This is serious responsibility. Not the kind of responsibility you have just because you are somebody’s friend, but the kind of responsibility that comes from saying, before God, “I care for you and will work to encourage you in your discipleship.” This challenge is a serious thing.

d. This covenant isn’t just about us challenging each other to be better Christians. Our church covenant is also a comfort. A comfort to know you’ll be cared for and prayed for, not perfectly, but faithfully. The comfort is that by joining a church and covenanting with other believers, you now have Christians who are going to build you up when you are down. You have Christians who are committed, before God, to walk with you, pray with you, serve you. You have Christians who are so concerned about your spiritual walk, that if they see you break the covenant you have made as a disciple of Christ, they will exhort you to turn back; and if you don’t, they’ll do all they can to make the gravity of your sin clear. This is our ideal, our vision, what we strive for.

e. “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Schmucker, M. (2007). Membership Matters—What Is Our Church Covenant? 9Marks Journal, 4(1), 35–37.